Fire and burglar alarm



(No Model.)

B. J. AN'TRIM; "FIRE AND BURGLAR ALARM.

o. 278,888. Patented May 28,1888.

NV NTOR:

8 WlTNES SES;

u. versus. Phobumo n ner. Washingun. n.c.

lower section of the barrel portion of the alarm.

I U'NiTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

e. JAY An'raiM, or n mnnnrnm, PENNSYLVANlA.

FIRE, AND BUBGLAR ALARM,

SPECIFICATION forming pairt'of Letters .latent No. 278,386, dated May 29, less.

' Application filed Febrnary27, 1883. (No model.) i

To all whom it may concern: i

Be it=known that 1,13. JAY ANTRIM, a citizen of theUnited States, residing in the city and countyof Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fire and Burglar Alarms, which improvementis fully set forth in the following specification and accompanying drawings, in

which--" Figure 1 is a partial side elevation andivertical section of an alarm embodyingmy invention.

tional in linew m, Fig. 1. Fig, 3 is an end view,

Fig. 2 is a top or plan view, partly secpartly in elevation and partly sectional in line y 3 Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a top view of the Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of a modification. Fig. 6 is a top view thereof. Fig 7 is a section of a portion of a modification.

Similar letters of 'reference indicate correspoudingparts in the several figures.

My invention consistsof improvements in the automatically-operated fire and burglar l alarm for which Letters Patent of the United 5 States No. 268,597 were granted to me on the 5th day of December, 1882.

Referring to the drawings, A represents a holder, which is constructed of sections a a, channeled on their inner faces,forming barrels B to receive fire-crackers, cartridges, or other explosives,,A!, said sections being properly clamped or connected.

0 represents spring-pressed plungers or pis tons, which are fitted within the barrels and adapted to be discharged by the explosives in said barrels; and D represents a channel within the holder, extending at a right angle to the barrels and communicating therewith by means of ducts 1), formed in the holder. In either section a a are vents c, which communi- .cate with the barrels at places above or below the plnngers C, and are closed by the plungers when in their normal positions, it being seen that when the plungers are operated the vents are uncovered, thus permitting the escape of the created gases, the springs U afterward restoring the plungers to their normal positions.

In the holder are also vertical ducts 0, each of which communicates withaduct, b, and communicating with saidducts c are nipples E,

. which are secured to the upper sideof the the ignition of fuses Grill the ducts b, said fuses also communicating with an explosive or burning material in the channel'D. Overhanging each nipple is a gravitating or spring-pressed hammer, H,whichis guidedinasuitablel'ramework, J, sothat when it descends it strikes a nipple beneath it, the upper end of the stem ot the hammer having a spring-catch, K, which holder, said nipples being adapted to hold percussion-caps, which, when exploded,willcause' engages with a bar, plate, or lug, L, on the frame J, the nose of said catch being so dis posed that it may be engaged by a gravitatin'g' or spring-pressed, piece, M, and thus thrown off from the lug L, the hammer being thereby released and permitted to descend. The throwoff piece M is held clear of the catch K by a rod, cord, or wire, d, which is connected with an elbow or other lever suitably mounted in an apartment, a cord, (1', being also connected ,with said lever and reaching to some locality from whence an alarm may be sounded, the release of said cord d causing the release of the throw-off piece M and the consequent operation of the hammer and discharge of the cap on the nipple.

Formed orsecured to the outer end of the holder are lugs P, on which are supported caps Q, to which are. attached rods, cords, or wires R, reaching to a distant alarm, whereby when fuses G, due t) the discharge of the caps, and the plungers G are operated, the caps Q are forced from the lugs P, the efl'ect whereof is to permit the rising of the rods, cords, or wires R, thus causing the operation of some distant alarms or the dropping of said caps on the floors of the apartments, thus sounding alarms, the noise of the explosion of the percussioncaps and explosives also creating alarms.

Instead of the caps Q, I may employ levers Q, (see Figs. 5 and 6,) which,when forced back by the plungers, operate distant alarms,which are connected with said levers by rods, cords, or wires, the levers Q being pivoted to the holder, wall of the apartment, or other suitablesupp'ort.

The holder may be formed with as many barrels as there are rooms, apartments, or places to protect, it being evident that a single barrel may be employed, which, however,

the explosive in barrels are ignited by the i v consequent rapid movement of the hammer, .15

will be provided. ,With'fill th a many=barreled holder. 7

In the event of fire the proper cord, d, will be released, either automatically if the flames reach the same, or it may be cut or ignited by hand; and the same provision may exist in the case of the connection d, which may be made of some inflammable material; or either connection may be attached to a door, window, &c., so as to be released by the entrance of burglars, the efiect in any case being to permit the descent of the throw-off piece and cause the disengagement of the catch K, and

e appurtenances of whereby the cap under the latter is struck and the alarmissounded. When ,the fusebeneath the struck capi-s ignited, tireis communicated to thematerial in-the channelD,-and thusthe, remaining fuses areignited and all of the barrels discharged, so that an'alarm is sounded in each room,apartment, or place where alarm mechanism, is located, these operations being quickly accomplished owing to -the immediate ignition of the fuse beneath the cap which is struck, and the rapid ignition ofallother fuses. I

S representsa metalliccase, which is secured to a wall orother suitable place in a room, and contains a fuse or cord, S, ot'any-desired thickness, and of such nature or preparation as l to readily ignitejand burn apart, thus releasingthe connections of the throw-off piece and causing an alarm, said case Sbeing so located that in case of fire in the room theflames will s readily reach an opening in said case, and thus ignite the fuse or cord within the same. Said case andcontents may, however, he oftheforin of a thermostat, which, when the temperature of the room reaches a certain height due to fire, will act to liberate the connections of the throw-oftpiece and cause the alarm.

If desired,the nipples may communicate directly with the channel D, so that the material therein will simultaneously ignite all of the-fuses G and discharge the several barrels, it beingevident that said nipples inaysup-port percussion-caps,fulminates, primers, &c.; or, in lieu of the nipples, I may employ firing-pins to be struck by the hammers H and explode fulminates, which may be applied to blank cartridges or located in the ducts b or channels D-a feature desiredin wet or damp localitiesa form of such arrangement being shown 1n Fig. 7.

The caps Q maybe substituted by balls or weights, which may be hung on the end of the holder or fitted in the ends of the barrels, or

connected with bolts to lock or unlock doors, &c. l I

The hammers H may be made to slide vertically on the frame J, as shown, or pivoted thereto so as to swing toward and against the nipples .or pins, without, however, producing difierent results 'fromthose s tated.-

.Having thus described my invention, what I claim, as new,and desire to securebyLetters Patent, is

1. A hammer suspended by a catch, a weight adapted to strike said catch in falling and release said hammer, and a string or a other easily-severed support for said weight, in combination with a barrel containing explosive material, and a percussion-cap arranged below said hammer and in com munication with said explosivematerial so as to ignitethe latter :when the said hammer falls. 2. A'case containing explosive mate'riah-a cord" arranged to be broken by the explosion thereof, a weight suspended by said cord and,

its attachments, and a hammer suspended by a catch which is arranged to he released by the falling of said weight, in combination with a barrel containing explosive material and a percussion-cap arranged to be exploded by the falling of said hammer and to ignite said explosive material, substantially as set forth.

B. JAY ANTRIM. 

